Kashmir Impulse Desk

New Delhi, May 12 

India cancelled the NEET-UG 2026 medical entrance examination on Tuesday following allegations of a question paper leak, prompting a federal investigation and triggering outrage among more than two million candidates who appeared for the test earlier this month.

The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the nationwide examination for undergraduate medical admissions, said fresh dates for the re-examination would be announced within seven to 10 days.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) later registered a case involving charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, theft and destruction of evidence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.

The agency dispatched multiple teams to investigate the alleged leak and said it would gather material from the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan Police.

The Rajasthan Police SOG had earlier claimed that a “guess paper” for chemistry circulated ahead of the May 3 examination contained around 410 questions, of which about 120 allegedly appeared in the final test paper.

In Maharashtra’s Nashik city, police detained a man in connection with the case, officials said. Rajasthan Police teams were expected to take custody of the suspect.

The examination, conducted on May 3 across 551 cities in India and 14 abroad, saw nearly 2.3 million candidates appear, according to the NTA.

In a statement posted on X, the agency said the decision to cancel the exam was taken to preserve transparency and public confidence in the examination system.

“Inputs received, taken together with findings shared by law enforcement agencies, established that the present examination process could not be allowed to stand,” the statement said.

NTA Director General Abhishek Singh acknowledged lapses in the process and said the agency was preparing for a fresh examination.

“Paper leaks must end with immediate effect. It is unfortunate that we are at this stage,” Singh told reporters.

Students across the country reacted with anger and frustration, questioning the NTA’s ability to conduct secure examinations and demanding that future tests be administered by All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Opposition parties accused the government of administrative failure and insensitivity towards students.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the cancellation had crushed the aspirations of millions of students.

“This is not just a failure — it’s a crime against the future of the youth,” Gandhi said in a post on X, accusing the government of allowing “organised corruption in education”.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned whether a re-conducted examination could guarantee against further leaks.

Arvind Kejriwal accused the government of “toying with the future” of students and urged aspirants to protest against repeated examination controversies.

Other opposition leaders, including Trinamool Congress parliamentarian Sagarika Ghose, CPI(M) leader John Brittas and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, also criticised the government and the NTA.

The NTA said students would not need to register again for the re-examination and no additional fee would be charged. Existing registration data and examination centre preferences would remain valid.

The agency added that fees already paid by candidates would be refunded and the re-examination would be conducted using the NTA’s internal resources.

The NTA had earlier said the May 3 examination was conducted under strict security measures, including GPS-tracked transportation of question papers, traceable watermarks and AI-assisted CCTV monitoring at examination centres.

According to the agency, reports of alleged malpractice were received on May 7 and forwarded to central agencies the following day for verification and investigation.